Sunday, 15 September 2013

It’s time to be thrifty

I think that everyone would like to have more money. They’d either like
to get a pay rise, win the lottery or find money on the street. I have to say I
am no different, I’d love one or all of these to happen to me. However unless
you are really lucky these scenarios are unfortunately only dreams. So to
ensure we get the most out of what we currently earn we have to make our money
go further. We need to be thrifty.

The Free Dictionary’s definition of Thrift is “Wise economy in the management of money and other
resources” or “wisdom and caution in the management of
money”.

Here are a few ways you can get thrifty.1. When shopping online ALWAYS look for
voucher codes.

If I’m online shopping and decide that
I want to purchase something and I can’t see any offers on the site I turn to
google. Simply search the shop you are on followed by the word ‘voucher code’, ‘coupon’
or ‘discount’. Sometimes you will get lots of results popping up and other
times none but it is always great to check! Sites like Voucher Codesand Voucher Cloudare good sites to look at if they are in the search results.

If you come across a forum where people are
sharing voucher codes but you think they might be out of date, always try them,
you may come across a hidden gem. One time I had a discount code for Urban
Outfitters found another on a forum and they both worked together! BONUS!

2. Sign yourself up for a cash back
site...

You will have probably seen sites like Quidco and Top Cash Back on TV
but if you haven’t, where have you been? There are two ways you can use cash
back sites, one log on to the site directly, find the company you want to buy
from in their listings, click through to the companies site to purchase what
you need and the cash back site logs this and will start working on your
cashback. I must admit I don’t do this as much as I should, but when I started
I bought my phone through this and earned £100 back!

The other way to use these sites is by registering your debit card. I
think only Quidco offers this currently but it is a great service that works in
the background without you doing anything. Basically once you've registered
your card on their site you earn money when you buy something from a shop that
offers cash back. The list of shopsis not exhaustive but there may be a shop you visit regularly that you
could benefit from.

Although the whole cash back scheme is great, don’t expect your money
straight away. There is normally a long waiting period to get the money but I
think it is a great way to make a bit of money back from purchases you would
have made anyway.3.Be restrictive and buy only what you
need.

This one is pretty obvious but I think we all need to sit back from time
to time and think “do I really need another nail varnish/shower gel/facial
wash?”. The answer is most probably no. Be clever with your money and don’t buy
it until you need it. Unless it’s on offer, then, well then stock your
cupboards up!

I hope that you enjoy my tips and that you all get thrifty.

Do you have any thrifty tips for me? Let me know! I always like to save
money!

4 comments

I'm always looking for voucher codes lol. I get what you mean, it's great when you find a few and they all work on the same order :) deffo a bonus! Lol. Have followed your blog hun, it's lovely, just having a read :). I found your blog via #bbloggers chat! Keep in touch, Gem x

I've always felt a bit wary of Quidco--no idea why--but my BIL just got a £100 cheque from them. I'll have to look into it.

I occasionally go through old books and sell back to Amazon or AbeBooks what I can, and also send stuff off to Music Magpie. You won't get top dollar for them, BUT, it's minimal effort and a bit of money in your pocket is more useful than stuff cluttering up the house that you never use/watch. I've also flogged the odd thing or two--usually kid stuff--on local FB selling groups.